Are We Evolving to Homo Copilot?
Since ChatGPT's appearance at the end of November 2022, we have lived a race in the integration of GenAI around our lives. During the last year, we have had to make a gigantic effort to understand what was happening around us. In fact, what ChatGPT could do and what GenAI means.
When we started to get a glimpse of ChatGPT's capabilities Microsoft announced Copilot and how it was going to be part of some Microsoft 365 applications and tools. In the last few months, we have seen how it is also integrated into all Microsoft 365 and Azure services. In short, the new way of working awaits us. Or, actually, it has slapped us in the face and it is mandatory to know how to use it.
Don't forget other companies introducing GenAI tools into the mix. Their apps do things like making images, videos, texts, and search engines. It's a bunch of new tools shaking up our work routines.
And everything in the context of the cloud revolution, SaaS applications, etc. In my case, in the context of Microsoft 365 with SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Lists, Microsoft Forms, Power Platform, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Viva Pulse, Viva Topics, Viva Insights, .... Too many maybe.
We seemed to be getting used to a new way of working that emerged thanks to Microsoft Teams. Conceived as the employee's framework, all the company's tools and applications would converge in the left bar. Collaboration between colleagues is easier than ever thanks to teams and channels. Customization is so extensive that you can choose the specific applications you want to incorporate into your teams via tabs. Integration with other systems became easy (or not?). And so much more.
And it wasn't that long ago that Microsoft Teams came into our lives. It was almost 6 years ago, back in March 2017. A revolution at the time as we came from working with scattered applications such as SharePoint, Word, Excel, etc. No convergence point united them all in one place.
The employee was lost in front of so many tools and was distracted instead of focusing. This is one of the arguments that make Microsoft Teams one of the most widely used applications. Don't forget its ability to communicate through chat, audio calls, video calls, etc.
So we were coming from a world where SharePoint served as the focal point of the company, the company's operating system, practically. It was going to be replaced by another monster like Microsoft Teams. Not replaced in its meaning but relegated in some ways.
We can mount a similar story about SharePoint when it appeared. It was a revolution in companies since it avoided having the company's information dispersed. SharePoint was the answer to the complex situations. For example, employees were (and still are today in not-so-rare cases) using local folders, network folders, other systems, etc. There is no control or standard tool to use.
In short, if we use anthropological terms, we can say that we are at the beginning of the era of Homo Copilot. We are seeing how Copilot is impacting our lives and we are getting used to it. We are making our own which was strange. We are making use of the extraordinary capabilities it makes available to us.
The beginning of a new era does not mean the end of another, but it may be in the process of falling away or being relegated. We can say that many people are in the era of Homo Teams and have a certain refusal to evolve. However, the Homo Copilot uses the capabilities developed when they were in the era of Homo Teams. Homo Copilot is evolving from Homo Teams. Undoubtedly, for the moment, it is a step we must take.
And, finally, the Homo SharePoint must go down that path with quickness so as not to be left behind. The Homo SharePoint is an endangered species that, although SharePoint continues to be used, is increasingly relegated to more mundane purposes or lesser value.
I would like to know what you think of my reflection and the anthropological comparison I have made. I think it reflects what is happening in recent years and how Copilot is pushing people to evolve. Leave me your opinion in the comments.
References
Introducing ChatGPT: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt
Announcing Microsoft Copilot, your everyday AI companion: https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/09/21/announcing-microsoft-copilot-your-everyday-ai-companion/
Microsoft Teams in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Teams